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ASEAN leaders to tackle regional crises at tropical resort

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:09:58 GMT

LABUAN BAJO, Indonesia (AP) — A picturesque tourist destination will host crisis-weary Southeast Asian leaders with sun-splashed tropical islands, turquoise waters brimming with corals and manta rays, seafood feasts, and a hillside savannah crawling with Komodo dragons. The sunshiny setting is a stark contrast to the seriousness of their agenda.Indonesian President Joko Widodo picked the far-flung, rustic harbor town of Labuan Bajo as a laidback venue to discuss an agenda rife with contentious issues. These include the continuing bloody civil strife in Myanmar and the escalating territorial conflicts in the South China Sea between fellow leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. The 10-nation regional bloc and its member states will meet for three days starting Tuesday, with the growing rivalry between the United States and China as a backdrop. U.S. President Joe Biden has been reinforcing an arc of alliances in the Indo-Pacific region to better counter China over Taiwa...

Set to host, UK taking Eurovision very seriously this year

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:09:58 GMT

LONDON (AP) — There’s nothing like nearly winning to wake people up. And the U.K.’s second-place position at last year’s Eurovision Song Contest has helped kickstart widespread enthusiasm for 2023’s edition — taking place in Liverpool this week.Sam Ryder’s “Space Man” restored the nation’s interest last year with his smiling enthusiasm, soaring vocals and great song despite coming on the heels of James Newman in 2021, who received no points at all, and 2019’s Michael Rice, who also came in last.Normally the winner of the previous contest would host the next one, but that winner was Ukraine, and the ongoing war there has made that impossible. So the U.K., as runnerup, is hosting instead.Singer Rita Ora says Eurovision — the semifinals begin Tuesday and the final is Saturday — has received another lease on life in the U.K.“The Eurovision is suddenly just (becoming) huge again and I’m really here for it,” she said.She’s performing during the interval at a semifinal in Liverpool, but he...

RCMP issue alert for rural residents in central Alberta : In The News for May 8

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:09:58 GMT

In The News is a roundup of stories from The Canadian Press designed to kickstart your day. Here is what’s on the radar of our editors for the morning of May 8 …What we are watching in Canada …RCMP have issued an emergency alert for residents living in a rural community in central Alberta. Mounties say an armed and dangerous person was last seen in the area of Township Road 422 and Range Road 245a in Ponoka County. They say the alert is in effect for everyone within 20 kilometres of Township Road 422 and Range Road 245 A in Ponoka County, including everyone in Maskwacis. RCMP say they are looking for a 30-year-old Maskwacis resident who is described as six feet three inches tall, 250 pounds, with blue eyes and brown hair with blond tips and a buzz cut. They say he was last seen wearing a black shirt and track pants. Police are advising people who see him to not approach him and call 911 immediately.—Also this …Canada’s electronic wa...

Turkey’s opposition denounces fairness of vote under Erdogan

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:09:58 GMT

ISTANBUL (AP) — As Turkey heads for presidential and parliamentary elections at the weekend that are shaping up to be the strongest challenge to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in his 20 years as leader, complaints are growing about the fairness of the vote. Turkey’s opposition has long said that the country’s elections are played out on an unlevel playing field, claims often backed by international observers.Media coverage stands out as the most obvious example of where Erdogan enjoys an advantage over his opponents, but factors such as the use of state resources while campaigning and the questionable interpretation of electoral law also feature.Some 90% of Turkey’s media is in the hands of the government or its backers, according to Reporters Without Borders, ensuring overwhelming airtime for the president. Only a handful of opposition newspapers remain in print, most having transitioned to online-only editions.During April, Erdogan received nearly 33 hours of airtime on the main s...

Ottawa expected to announce renewal of federal gun and gang violence program

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:09:58 GMT

OTTAWA — The Liberal government is expected to announce the renewal of its multimillion-dollar federal gun and gang violence program today.Ottawa says Marco Mendicino, federal Minister of Public Safety, will make an announcement at 9:30 a.m. about the government’s work to prevent gun and gang violence.In November 2017, the federal government announced approximately $327.6 million in new federal funding over five years to tackle an increase in gun violence and gang activity in Canada, with funds set to begin flowing in 2018-19.The government says the initiative involved federal, provincial and territorial efforts to support “community-level prevention and enforcement efforts.”It says this also included efforts to “build and leverage unique federal expertise and resources to advance intelligence related to the illegal trafficking of firearms, and invest in border security to interdict illicit goods including guns and drugs.”The government says firearm-rel...

Folk haven Yorkville changed Gordon Lightfoot before its own ritzy transformation

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:09:58 GMT

The Gordon Lightfoot who first performed in Toronto’s Yorkville, what’s now one of Canada’s ritziest neighbourhoods, is not the Gordon Lightfoot we know today. Yorkville transformed musicians, from Lightfoot to Neil Young to Joni Mitchell, almost as thoroughly as it was transformed in the second half of the 20th century. The neighbourhood now known for its multimillion-dollar condos, high-end restaurants and luxury boutiques was just 60 years ago a haven for hippies and a “hothouse” for future folk legends. “Everything that would have taken five years anywhere else took one year in Yorkville, because there was so much input,” said Mike Daley, a musicologist who’s spent the last five years researching Yorkville’s history. “The creativity was just flowering there. And I think it’s because of the particular qualities of the Yorkville coffee house district that you didn’t see anywhere else.”In Lightfoot’...

Canada’s electronic waste more than tripled in 20 years, study indicates

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:09:58 GMT

Canada’s electronic waste more than tripled in the last two decades and is expected to keep increasing, a new study indicates, with researchers urging better e-waste management to reduce environmental harm and bring economic rewards.Researchers from the University of Waterloo conducted what they called a comprehensive estimate of e-waste in Canada to better understand the lifecycle of electronic items from point of sale to disposal.The study, published in the Journal of Hazardous Materials, looked at e-waste data going as far back as 1971.E-waste consists of discarded electronic products including computers, televisions, cell phones, consumer goods like electronic toys and household lighting, and large household appliances such as refrigerators or washing machines.The research indicates e-waste generation per personincreased from 8.3 kilograms in 2000 to 25.3 kilograms in 2020. Canadians produced nearly one million tonnes of e-waste in 2020, and that’s expected to reach ...

Norway’s aging king hospitalized with an infection

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:09:58 GMT

Norway’s aging king, Harald V, has been admitted to a hospital and is receiving treatment for an infection, the Norwegian palace said in a brief statement Monday.”The king has been diagnosed with an infection that needs to be treated, and will therefore remain in hospital for a few days,” the palace said, adding that the condition of the 86-year-old monarch was stable.No other details were released except that the monarch is at Rikshospitalet, Oslo’s main hospital.Harald, who has been seen using crutches in recent years, has been hospitalized several times in recent months. In December, he was also admitted to a hospital due to an infection and was treated with intravenous antibiotics. He also was hospitalized in August for three days with a fever.He went through a successful operation to replace a heart valve in October 2020 after being hospitalized with breathing difficulties.The heir to the throne, Crown Prince Haakon, has stepped in and taken over his father’s duties...

Daily horoscope for May 8, 2023

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:09:58 GMT

Moon Alert: Avoid shopping or important decisions from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. EDT today (1 p.m. to 5 p.m. PDT). After that, the Moon moves from Sagittarius into Capricorn.Happy Birthday for Monday, May 8, 2023:You set high standards for yourself, and you are committed to whatever you do. You are both serious and lighthearted, which makes you interesting to others. This is a slower-paced year with a strong focus on close relationships. Take time to smell the roses.ARIES(March 21-April 19) ★★★★You feel adventurous! It’s the start of the week, and you want to make something happen. This is why you might impulsively take off in a new direction. People from other cultures and different countries will intrigue you. Write down your clever ideas. Tonight: Be cool.TAURUS(April 20-May 20) ★★★Be careful, because the Moon Alert today is in one of your Money Houses. If you’re working on red-tape issues like taxes, debt, insurance matters, wills or inheritances, do your homework. But don...

Thousands protest against government move to strip teachers of public servant status in Hungary

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:09:58 GMT

Thousands rallied in Budapest on Wednesday (3 May) to protest against new government-sponsored legislation that would eliminate the public servant status of teachers and significantly increase their workload.Almost 5,000 teachers have already said they will leave their profession if the so-called Status Law comes into force, but Prime Minister Viktor Orban's government is going ahead with the reforms that would strip teachers of some of their job security.Wednesday's protest came after a year of teacher strikes and demonstrations for higher wages as Hungary's inflation - running above 25% - erodes teachers' salaries that are already below the national average and second to last among OECD countries according to 2021 data.Many critics refer to the draft as the "Revenge Law", perceived as punishment for teachers' year-long resistance."I am entirely against this law, which is not called the 'revenge law' in public discourse by accident," said Katalin Torley, one of the most vocal criti...